One of the most glittering of European reputations was laid to waste at an energised Anfield.

Real Madrid weren’t just ejected from the Champions League, they were grabbed by the collar and the belt and launched ignominiously through the Anfield exit door, with Fernando Torres’ size nines up their rear end.

Liverpool were excellent, Real Madrid rubbish – prompting the second most popular question of the night, after ‘how bad were they?’

Reds fans wanted to know: ‘How can a team which performed with such passion, such tempo and such bristling aggression, have produced so many insipid home performances in the Premier League this season?’

The answer lay all around.

Everyone was up for this one. You knew a good night beckoned when the visiting directors, the England national coach, the president of UEFA and the FA’s recently deposed chief executive all sat – eyes right – staring in admiration at the Kop as it went through its pre-match repertoire.

And Real, their fans and the match officials were all suitably intimidated.

Steven Gerrard set the scene in his programme notes.

“Real Madrid will fancy themselves to score here – but they haven’t played at Anfield,” he declared.

“Teams don’t know what hits them when they walk out of the tunnel, and when we blast out the traps with a high tempo and fire in our bellies, opponents can struggle to cope.

“Guys like Cannavaro, Robben and Diarra have played here and they can try and explain to their team-mates what it is they’ll face when they walk out of the tunnel tonight.

“But until you experience it for yourself, as they will tonight, you can’t prepare for it.

It does have an effect on teams. Hopefully it does its stuff again tonight.”

It did. Liverpool started with a passion and a pace which debilitated Madrid.

And while the noise undeniably influenced a weak Belgian referee into a couple of decisive home town decisions, no-one could argue that Liverpool weren’t richly deserving victors.

Leading the charge was Fernando Torres.

The white of Madrid’s shirts was the equivalent of a red rag waved in the middle of the Plaza de Toros to Liverpool’s rampaging bull.

He was outstanding.

The third minute turn which exposed former World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro was sublime.

But it wasn’t just his stylish front-running which was so impressive.

In a perfect advert for defending from the front he sprinted back to pick the pocket of Sergio Ramos as Liverpool pressed with an energy and an enthusiasm which was infectious.

But it was Javier Mascherano’s prickly pressing which nicked back possession in the build-up to the goal which was just as important.

Only a display from Iker Cassilas which underlined why Pepe Reina has won so few Spanish caps prevented a Liverpool landslide – although a 4-0 scoreline was convincing enough.

Even the English press was more direct afterwards. The Spanish media were surprisingly sanguine about their side’s performance, but the Guardian’s Andy Hunter – once of this parish – launched an exocet at Juande Ramos.

“Are you embarrassed by that performance?” he declared.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t.

Perhaps he accepted that on a night when Anfield has the bit between its teeth, like last night, few teams can survive.

On a near perfect night for the Reds, supporters were delighted to see local lad Jay Spearing step off the substitutes’ bench to make the most glamorous of home debuts.

And the youngster rewarded them with a bright and purposeful cameo – marred only when the Kop realised it was Andrea Dossena who had supplied the fourth goal flourish, not the little Scouser.

That 87th minute strike established an accurate reflection of Liverpool’s dominance.

Now Anfield will hope and pray that those same players can maintain that level of passion, that energy and that verve at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Champions League may still offer Liverpool’s most realistic avenue to glory this season, but a little domestic reminder to Manchester United wouldn’t go amiss.

Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0 is now history – a stirring slice of Anfield folklore, but history nonetheless.

Now it’s time to start adding to the domestic history books – starting at Old Trafford on Saturday lunch-time.